Helmet padding systems

ABSTRACT

Padding systems for use with helmets are described. An example padding system includes a pad body having a substantially unitary base portion. The base portion has a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the first side to face an inner surface of a helmet and the second side to face the head of a person when the helmet is worn by the person. The padding system also includes a first plurality of raised portions distributed on the first side of the base portion, at least some of the first raised portions extending beyond a first surface of the first side to fill first spaces between the inner surface of the helmet and the pad body when the padding system is installed in the helmet and the helmet is worn by the person. Additionally, the padding system includes a second plurality of raised portions distributed on the second side of the base portion, at least some of the second raised portions extending beyond a second surface of the second side to engage the head of the person when the helmet is worn by the person.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 61/401,510 filed on Aug. 16, 2010, and thebenefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.61/462,375, filed on Feb. 2, 2011, both of which are hereby incorporatedby reference herein in their entireties.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclose relates generally to helmets and, moreparticularly, to padding systems for use with helmets.

BACKGROUND

Helmets are generally composed of a relatively thin, hard shell and animpact absorbing liner or suspension system. In some known helmets, theimpact absorbing liner is a foam body having a relatively uniformthickness and a shape that conforms to the inner surface of the helmet.Such helmets and liners may fit loosely on a person's head. A loose fitcan reduce the level of protection provided by the helmet and can alsocompromise the stability of the helmet during head and/or bodymovements. In some cases, if the liner is formed to provide a tighterfit on a person's head, the stability and the protection provided by thehelmet may be improved somewhat, but the degree of comfort provided bythe helmet may be degraded significantly. An uncomfortable helmet posesfurther danger because a person wearing the helmet is more likely toremove the helmet, thereby leaving their head completely unprotected.

Other known helmets employ a plurality of separately positionable padshaving various thicknesses. These pads may be attached to the innersurface of the helmet in locations likely to receive an impact. Forexample, pads may be located at the top, front, back and sides of thehelmet. With these helmets, the fit of the helmet can be adjusted usingpads of different thicknesses to provide an acceptable degree ofprotection and comfort for the individual wearing the helmet. However,in practice, because the pads are separate, they may be easily removedand may not be properly repositioned or may not be returned to thehelmet and, thus, enable safety of the helmet to be easily compromised.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a back side or helmet-side view of an example helmetpadding system.

FIG. 2 depicts a front side or head-side view of the example helmetpadding system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 depicts the example padding system of FIGS. 1 and 2 installed ina helmet.

FIGS. 4 and 5 depict cross-sectional views of the example padding systemof FIGS. 1 and 2 installed in the helmet of FIG. 3.

FIGS. 6 and 7 depict another example helmet padding system.

FIG. 8 depicts the example padding system of FIGS. 6 and 7 installed ina helmet.

FIG. 9 depicts another example helmet padding system.

FIG. 10 depicts the example substantially unitary base portion of theexample helmet padding system of FIG. 9

FIGS. 11A and 11B depict the manner in which the pads of FIG. 9 areslidably coupled to the arms of the base portion.

FIGS. 12 and 13 depict another example helmet padding system.

FIG. 14 depicts the example padding system of FIGS. 12 and 13 having amoisture-wicking fabric cover and positioned for installation in ahelmet.

FIG. 15 shows the example padding system of FIGS. 12 and 13 installed inthe helmet of FIG. 14.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The example helmet padding systems described herein provide improvedsafety, fit and comfort characteristics in comparison to manyconventional helmet liners, pads and/or suspension systems. In general,example helmet padding systems described herein may be made of one ormore impact attenuating or absorbing materials that have been arrangedand configured to increase an amount of impact absorbing material incontact with inner surfaces of various helmets while at the same timeimproving comfort, fit and load distribution (i.e., the distribution ofweight) of the helmets on the heads of persons wearing the helmets incomparison to many conventional liners, pads and/or suspension systems.

Further, prior to installation in helmets, the example helmet paddingsystems described herein may be configured to have a substantially flatprofile or geometry to facilitate shipping or transport of the paddingsystems. For example, shipping a quantity of padding systems or storageof a helmet padding system in a backpack or other container or locationis more efficient as a result of such a flat, uninstalled profile orgeometry. Additionally, some known helmet padding systems that areformed to have a substantially non-flat profile or geometry (e.g., ashape that corresponds to the three-dimensional shape of an innersurface of a helmet) are more difficult to ship or transport in quantityand more difficult to store due to their susceptibility to permanentdeformation (e.g., crushing or flattening). Once deformed, these knownhelmet padding systems may be very difficult, if not impossible, toinstall in a helmet, may no longer provide a comfortable fit and/or maybe compromised such that they no longer provide a sufficient degree ofimpact protection. Thus, the substantially flat uninstalled profile orgeometry of the example helmet padding systems described herein alsoadvantageously eliminate or minimize such deformation issues and therelated performance degradation associated with these known helmetpadding systems.

The example helmet padding systems described herein may be implementedas composite structures in which different materials of the structuresare shaped and arranged in different layers and/or locations to providea desired level of impact absorption or attenuation and comfort for aparticular type of helmet or application. For example, an example helmetpadding system may have a pad body composed of an impact absorbingmaterial and including a substantially unitary base portion having acentral portion and a plurality of separate, flexible arms extendingradially from the central portion. Such a structure enables the pad bodyto assume a substantially flat profile (with the arms extending outwardand generally parallel to each other and the central portion) when notinstalled in a helmet. Also, this structure can be easily installed in ahelmet by pushing the central portion toward the top portion of theinner surface of the helmet and conforming (bending, curving) theflexible arms to fit the curved inner surface of the helmet.

To increase the amount of impact absorbing material in contact with theinner surface of a helmet without compromising fit or comfort for theperson wearing the helmet, the example helmet padding systems describedherein include a plurality of first raised portions, such as spacers,inserts and/or integrally formed features, distributed on a first sideof the pad body that is to face the inner surface of a helmet. The firstraised portions extend beyond (i.e., are raised or project relative to)a surface of the first side so that when the padding system (and the padbody) is installed in the helmet and the helmet is worn by a person, thefirst raised portions fill spaces that would otherwise exist between thepadding system and the curved inner surface of the helmet. In otherwords, without the first raised portions, certain regions of the paddingsystem would otherwise exhibit a gap or space between the inner surfaceof the helmet and the padding system. Such gaps may adversely affect theability of the padding system and helmet to absorb or attenuate impacts(such as blunt force impacts), particularly in the areas of the helmetcorresponding to the gaps or spaces. Specifically, these gaps or spacesmay significantly reduce the time for which the impact absorbingmaterial of the padding system is able to absorb the energy of an impactto the helmet. Thus, because the total energy imparted to a helmetduring an impact may be largely independent of the presence and/or sizeof any such gaps or spaces, the reduction of impact absorption time mayresult in greater peak accelerations or forces being transferred to theabsorbing material and, as a result, the head of the person wearing thehelmet. Accordingly, the example helmet padding systems described hereinmay distribute the first raised portions on the pad body to fill suchspaces or gaps, particularly in areas or regions of the helmet that arelikely to receive an impact. In this manner, the example padding systemscan achieve a significant reduction in the peak forces or accelerationsto which the person wearing the helmet is subjected and, therefore,greatly improve the ability of a helmet to protect the person wearingthe helmet.

The first raised portions may extend the same or different distancesbeyond the surface of the first side, may have the same or differentgeometries, shapes or sizes, and/or may be made of the same or differentmaterials to suit the needs of a particular application. For example,the extension distances of each of the first raised portions may beselected to optimize fit of a helmet on the head of a person whileminimizing or eliminating any gaps or spaces between the helmet paddingsystem and the inner surface of a helmet while the helmet is being wornby a person. Similarly, the geometries, shapes or sizes of the firstraised portions and/or the materials of which the first raised portionsare made may be selected to optimize fit, comfort and protectionprovided by the helmet padding system.

To further improve comfort, fit, load distribution and safety of ahelmet, the example helmet padding systems described herein may alsoinclude a second plurality of raised portions (such as spacers, insertsand/or integrally formed features) on a second side of the pad body orbase portion. The second raised portions may extend beyond a surface ofthe second side to engage the head of a person wearing the helmet andsuspend the helmet on the head of the person.

The second raised portions may be configured and distributed on thesecond side to distribute (e.g., balance) the weight of the helmet onthe head of a person wearing the helmet and to stabilize the helmet onthe person's head, particularly in response to expected patterns ofmovement by the person in the environment in which the helmet is to beused. For example, in certain military and/or law enforcementapplications, such expected movements may include running, jumping,crawling, rolling, rapid head and/or upper body movements, etc. Morespecifically, in some examples, the second raised portions may belocated to engage the topmost portion of the person's head as well asthe front (e.g., upper forehead), the back and the sides of the person'shead.

The second raised portions may be made to have the same material,geometry, and/or dimensions, or may be made of different materialshaving different geometries and/or dimensions selected to performdifferent functions based on the locations of the second raised portionsrelative to the head of a person wearing a helmet including the paddingsystem. For example, the second raised portions may be composed of amaterial and extend sufficiently beyond the surface of the second sideto firmly grip the person's head to stabilize the helmet. Alternativelyor additionally, the second raised portions may be composed of amaterial that is deformable in response to contact with the person'shead to enable the second raised portions to deform or move in a mannerthat maintains firm contact with the person's head without compromisingcomfort. Additionally or alternatively, the second raised portions maybe composed of and/or covered with a material that can wick moistureaway from the head of the person and/or may be composed of a materialthat is impact absorbing or attenuating.

The second raised portions are also sized or dimensioned to form spacesor gaps between the head of the person wearing the helmet and the innersurface of the padding system. In other words, the second raisedportions may also function to suspend the helmet on the head of theperson. Such suspension of the helmet facilitates ventilation via thegaps or spaces and, thus, greatly improves comfort for the personwearing the helmet. Additionally, these gaps or spaces between theperson's head and the padding system may function to prevent the directtransmission of (i.e., direct paths for the transmission of) kineticenergy imparted via an impact to the helmet to the person's head,thereby further enhancing safety of the helmet. For example, withhelmets having a ballistic shell (i.e., a shell design to stopprojectiles such as bullet slugs), the impact of a slug may neverthelessresult in significant deformation of the helmet shell such that theinner surface of the helmet shell is forced inward toward the head ofthe person wearing the helmet (e.g., backface deformation). Such rapiddeformation of the helmet shell may convey a significant amount ofkinetic energy to portions of the padding system in contact with thedeformed portion of the helmet shell. The gaps or spaces formed by thesecond raised portions between the head of the person and the paddingsystem may prevent the kinetic energy imparted to the helmet shell by animpact such as a bullet slug and any of the padding system in contactwith the helmet shell from being conveyed directly to those portions ofthe person's head adjacent to the gaps or spaces.

The example padding systems described herein may also employ additionalslots, grooves or channels in the pad body to further enhanceventilation and, thus, comfort. Additionally, the example paddingsystems may include a moisture-wicking or other fabric that covers atleast part of or which may fully encapsulate the pad body to improvecomfort for the person wearing a helmet employing one of the paddingsystems.

As noted above, the example padding systems may be composite structuresinvolving multiple types of material and/or multiple layers of materialshaving multiple shapes or geometries to perform different respectivefunctions associated with safety, fit and/or comfort in accordance withthe locations on the padding system. Thus, in some examples, the baseportion of the pad body and the first raised portions, spacers orinserts distributed on the first side of the pad body (i.e., the side toface the inner surface of a helmet) may be made of a highly impactattenuating or absorbing material. Further, the first raised portionsmay be disk shaped, cylindrically shaped or any other geometry tomaximize conformance or engagement between the raised portions with theinner surface of the helmet. The second raised portions on the secondside of the pad body (i.e., the side to face the head of a personwearing the helmet) may likewise be made of an impact absorbing materialand/or may be made more compliant and/or of a material that providescomfort when engaged with the head of a person. These second raisedportions may also be disk shaped, cylindrically shaped or any othergeometry to maximize conformance or engagement with the person's head,thereby maximizing comfort and stability of the helmet.

Still further, while the example padding systems described herein mayinclude multiple materials, layers, portions, etc., the example paddingsystems may be constructed in a manner that results in the substantialintegration of two or more of the components or features of the paddingsystems. For example, various features may be formed from a unitarypiece of material (e.g., via a heat forming and/or pressing process)and/or one or more features or components may be fixed to one another ina manner that results in substantial integration or a substantiallyunitary body. As used herein such substantial integration means formedfrom a unitary piece of material (e.g., via a molding process, a heatforming or pressing process, a mechanical shaping process, etc.) orjoining components via a thermal process (e.g., heat fusing), amechanical fastener or fasteners (e.g., sewing, stitching, etc.), achemical process (e.g., adhesives), etc. In some exampleimplementations, the raised portions may be substantially integratedwith the pad body or a base portion of the pad body. In one particularimplementation, the raised portions may be disk-shaped orcylindrically-shaped portions that are disposed in recesses in the padbody or base portion and joined thereto via a heat fusing process or anyother process or apparatus that substantially integrates the disk-shapedor cylindrically-shaped portions with the pad body or base portion.

The examples described in more detail below in connection with thefigures are not to be construed as limiting the invention. Rather, theseexamples are provided to facilitate an understanding of the invention.Further, the examples depicted in the figures are not necessarily drawnto scale and, thus, are not to be construed as limiting the invention toany particular proportions or dimensions.

FIG. 1 depicts a back-side or helmet-side view of an example helmetpadding system 100 described herein and FIG. 2 depicts a front-side orhead-side view of the example helmet padding system 100 of FIG. 1. Asused herein the term “helmet side” refers to a portion, surface or sideof a structure that is to face an inner surface of a helmet. Conversely,the term “head side” refers to a portion, surface or side of a structurethat generally faces the head of a person. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2,the example helmet padding system 100 includes a pad body 102 having asubstantially unitary base portion 104. The base portion 104 has a firstside or helmet side 106 that is to face an inner surface of a helmetwhen the padding system 100 is installed in the helmet. A second side orhead side 108 of the base portion 104 opposite the helmet side 106 is toface the head of a person when a helmet having the padding system 100 isworn by the person.

In this example, the pad body 102 or base portion 104 includes aplurality of arms 112 a-d extending radially away from a central portion114 of the pad body 102. As shown in FIG. 3, the central portion 114 andthe arms 112 a-d are shaped to substantially cover the inner surface ofa helmet when the padding system 100 is installed in the helmet. In thisparticular example, there are four arms, where the arms 112 a and 112 c,which lie along a first longitudinal axis 116, are to be curved upward(in the orientation of FIG. 1) when the padding system 100 is installedin a helmet so that these arms 112 a and 112 c are to be positionedadjacent the front and back sides of the head of a person wearing thehelmet. The remaining two arms 112 b and 112 d lie along anotherlongitudinal axis 118, which is perpendicular to the first axis 116, sothat when the padding system 100 is installed in a helmet, these arms112 b and 112 d are positioned adjacent the right and left sides of theperson's head.

As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, prior to being installed in a helmet,the pad body 102 has a substantially flat profile. Such a flat profilefacilitates efficient shipping and/or storage of the padding system 100and minimizes or prevents deformation or damage to the padding system100 that could otherwise compromise the functionality or performance ofthe padding system 100. To provide this flat non-installed profile orgeometry, the arms 112 a-d are flexible and remain separate from eachother, thereby enabling independent movement and/or positioning of thearms during the installation of the padding system 100 in a helmet.Further, the geometries of the pad body 102 and, particularly, the arms112 a-d, are selected so that the padding system substantially coversthe inner surface of a helmet when the padding system 100 is installedand, thus, conformed to the inner surface of the helmet. Morespecifically, each of the arms 112 a-d is tapered to narrow toward thecentral portion 114, thereby complementing the tapered profile of theinner surface of a helmet.

Turning in more detail to FIG. 1, the helmet side 106 includes a firstplurality of inserts or raised portions 110 a-m distributed over thebase portion 104 or pad body 102. These first raised portions 110 a-mextend beyond a first surface 120 of the helmet side 106 to fill spacesbetween the inner surface of the helmet and the pad body 102 when thepadding system 100 is installed in the helmet and the helmet is worn bya person. In particular, the first raised portions 110 a-m are locatedsuch that they correspond to regions of the helmet where, without theraised portions 110 a-m, a space or gap would otherwise exist betweenthe padding system 100 and the inner surface of the helmet. As notedabove, such gaps or spaces can significantly degrade the ability of ahelmet to attenuate or reduce the peak forces to which a person's headmay be subjected when they are wearing the helmet and the helmet isimpacted. Further, one or more of the raised portions 110 a-m may alsocorrespond to regions of the helmet that are likely to receive an impact(e.g., a blunt force impact). In the example of FIG. 1, at least some ofthe raised portions 110 a-m are located on the arms 112 a-d and at leastsome of the raised portions 110 a-m are located along the longitudinalaxis 116 of the arms 112 a and 112 c.

The number of raised portions 110 a-m used and/or the locations of theraised portions 110 a-m used can be varied to suit the needs of aparticular application. Further, the distances by which the raisedportions 110 a-m extend or project beyond the surface 120 may the sameor different as needed to fill any gaps or spaces that would otherwiseexist without the raised portions 110 a-m. Still further, the raisedportions 110 a-m may be disposed in respective recesses (one of which isshown at reference number 122) of the pad body 102. In the example ofFIGS. 1 and 2, the raised portions 110 a-m are generally disk shaped orcylindrically shaped. However, any other shape or geometry may be usedinstead to achieve similar or identical results.

Now turning in more detail to FIG. 2, the head side 108 includes asecond plurality of inserts or raised portions 124 a-m distributed onthe base portion 104 or the pad body 102. At least some of these raisedportions 124 a-m extend beyond a surface 126 of the head side 108 toengage the head of a person when a helmet including the padding system100 is worn by the person. More specifically, the locations of theseraised portions 124 a-m and/or the distance(s) by which they extend orproject beyond the surface 126 may be selected to form spaces betweenthe pad body 102 and the head of a person when the helmet is worn by theperson. As described in more detail in connection with FIGS. 4 and 5below, the spaces formed by the raised portions 124 a-m facilitateventilation when the helmet is worn by the person. Further, thelocations of the raised portions 124 a-m, in addition to facilitatingventilation to certain areas within a helmet, also function to control adistribution of a weight of the helmet on the head of the person whenthe helmet is worn by the person. Additionally, the raised portions 124a-m are made of a material or materials that are deformable tofacilitate engagement with the head of a person when a helmet includingthe padding system 100 is worn by the person. Specifically, the raisedportions 124 a-m may be easily displaced or deformed to conform to thecontours of the person's head, thereby maximizing the surface area ofthe raised portions 124 a-m engaged with the person's head. The raisedportions 124 a-m may extend or project different distances beyond thesurface 126 to enable the pad body 102 to contact the various contoursof the head of a person wearing a helmet with the padding system 100installed to maintain a sufficiently tight but comfortable fit as wellas a stable fit that evenly distributes the weight of the helmet on theperson's head.

The head side 108 of the pad body 102 may also include a plurality ofchannels or grooves, some of which are indicated with reference numbers128-136, that further facilitate ventilation. These channels 128-136also increase the flexibility of the pad body 102 to allow the pad body102 to be more easily conformed to the curved inner surface of a helmet.

Optionally, the head side 108 of the pad body 102 may include one ormore surfaces that have been covered with a material that increases thecomfort of a person wearing a helmet with the padding system 100. Forexample, relatively soft, low density foam may be placed in certainlocations on the pad body 102 corresponding to the top of a person'shead and their forehead. In FIG. 2, reference numbers 138-148 correspondto example areas or regions of the head side 108 that may include such acomfort material. However, more, fewer and/or different regions of thehead side 108 could include such a material or materials.

One or more materials may be used to the form the example, paddingsystem 100 of FIGS. 1 and 2. In general, the materials used for the baseportion 104, the raised portions 110 a-m, 124 a-m and, more generally,the pad body 102, are impact absorbing or attenuating materials and/orcomfort providing materials. These materials include, but are notlimited to foam-based materials, vinyl-based materials, urethane-basedmaterials, polystyrene-based materials, elastomeric materials and/orpolypropylene-based materials. More specifically, example knownmaterials include EVA foam, vinyl nitrile, urethane foam, expandedpolystyrene, expanded polypropylene, silicone elastomer, memory foam,urethane gel, thermoplastic elastomer, urethane elastomer, etc.

The materials used to form the pad body 102 may be varied among theregions of the pad body 102 to optimize the overall performance of thepadding system 100. For example, the base portion 104 and the raisedportions 110 a-m may be formed using a relatively high-density impactabsorbing material, whereas the raised portions 124 a-m may be formedusing a somewhat softer, lower density material to absorb impact whileproviding a comfortable engagement with the head of a person. Further,some of the raised portions 110 a-m may be made of one material, whileother ones of the raised portions 110 a-m are made of one or more otherdifferent materials. However, generally, the material(s) used to formthe raised portions 110 a-m provide an impact absorbing or attenuatingcharacteristic. Similarly, the raised portions 124 a-m may be made ofthe same material or multiple, different materials as needed to achievea desired purpose and/or to satisfy the needs of a particularapplication. However, generally, at least some of the raised portions124 a-m may be made from a material or materials that absorb moisture,grip the head of a person and/or provide a relatively high degree ofcomfort and helmet stability. Further, the base portion 104 may be madeof a material or materials that are different from or the same as thematerials used for the raised portions 110 a-m, 124 a-m.

In addition to enabling the example padding system 100 to be formed as acomposite structure including a variety of impact-absorbing materialsthat have been specifically selected based on the location of thematerial relative to the inner surface of a helmet and/or the head of aperson wearing the helmet, the example padding system 100 can be formedusing multiple separate component pieces and/or layers that are joinedto form a substantially unitary structure. In the example of FIGS. 1 and2, the base portion 104 includes multiple layers 150 and 152 of impactabsorbing material. The raised portions 110 a-m, 124 a-m, which may bedisk-shaped or cylindrically-shaped portions, spacers or inserts, may bemounted in respective recesses in the base portion 104 or the pad body102. Thus, these raised portions 110 a-m, 124 a-m form yet another layerof material that may be different than the underlying or surroundinglayers. Although the raised portions 110 a-m, 124 a-m are depicted asdisk shaped or cylindrically shaped any other shape(s) may be used.

The various layers and/or components of the example padding system 100may be made substantially unitary using, for example, a heat forming orthermal fusing process, one or more adhesives, one or more mechanicalfasteners (e.g., sewing), and/or any other apparatus or process thatfixes the components and/or layers together into a substantially unitarybody. Alternatively, the raised portions 110 a-m, 124 a-m and the baseportion 104 may be integrally formed from a single piece of materialusing a thermal forming or molding process that results in a pad body102 that has regions of varying thickness where the relatively thickerregions of the pad body 102 correspond to raised portions.

As shown in FIG. 1, the example padding system 100 can include a cover154 that encapsulates or at least partially covers the pad body 102. Thecover 154 may be made of a moisture-wicking fabric or other materialthat increases the comfort of the padding system 100 by enabling wickingof moisture from the head of a person wearing a helmet including thepadding system 100.

Thus, it can be readily appreciated from the foregoing that the examplepadding system 100 provides a substantial degree of constructionflexibility to enable optimization of fit, comfort, and safety for avariety of different types of helmets and applications. Within a givenhelmet, the padding system 100 can be further optimized based on thelocation or region of the inner surface of the helmet and thecorresponding location or region of the head of the person wearing thehelmet. Such optimization of the performance of the example paddingsystem 100 within a given helmet design can be achieved by varyingmaterials and/or dimensions of the raised portions 110 a-m, 124 a-m, thebase portion 104 and, more generally, of the pad body 102 on alocation-by-location basis (i.e., the various locations of the helmetand a person's head).

FIG. 3 depicts the example padding system 100 installed in a helmet 300.As can be seen in FIG. 3, the example padding system 100, when conformedto the inner surface of the helmet 300, substantially covers the innersurface of the helmet 300. While not shown, the padding system 100 maybe attached to the inner surface of the helmet 300 using hook and loopfasteners (e.g., Velcro), adhesive(s), or any other suitable fasteningtechnique(s).

FIGS. 4 and 5 depict cross-sectional views of the example padding system100 installed in the helmet 300. FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrates the manner inwhich the raised portions 110 a-m on the helmet side 106 of the paddingsystem 100 eliminate or fill gaps or spaces that would otherwise existbetween an inner surface 400 of the helmet 300 and the padding system100. FIGS. 4 and 5 also shows how the raised portions 124 a-m on thehead side 108 of the padding system 100 engage the head of a person toprovide ventilation gaps 402-406, distribute the weight of the helmet300 and stabilize the helmet 300 relative to the head of the personwearing the helmet 300. Further, the raised portions 124 a-m alsofunction to suspend the helmet 300 on the person's head, therebypreventing the direct transfer of kinetic energy between at least onearea of the inner surface of the helmet 300 and the person's head. Forexample, if a projectile such as a bullet slug impacts the helmet 300 inan area corresponding to arrow 500 in FIG. 5, the kinetic energytransferred to the helmet by the projectile may cause backfacedeformation of the helmet at the impact site. However, because there isno direct path from the site of the impact to the person's head, thekinetic energy transferred to the helmet 300 is distributed over alarger area of the helmet and padding system 100 before reaching theperson's head. As a result, the peak forces, accelerations, etc. towhich any given area of the person's head is subjected are substantiallyreduced or minimized.

FIGS. 6 and 7 depict another example helmet padding system 600. FIG. 6shows a helmet side 602 of a pad body 604. The pad body 604 includes abase portion 605, and the helmet side 602 includes a plurality of arms606-610 and a central portion 612. Additionally, the helmet side 602 ofthe pad body 604 includes a plurality of spacers, inserts or raisedportions 614 a-d that extend or project beyond a surface 616 of the baseportion 605 or the pad body 604. As with the raised portions 110 a-m ofthe example padding system 100, the raised portions 614 a-d are sizedand located to fill spaces or gaps that would otherwise exist betweenthe padding system 600 and the inner surface of a helmet when thepadding system 600 is installed in the helmet and the helmet is worn bya person.

FIG. 7 shows a head side 618 of the pad body 604. The head side 618includes a plurality of raised portions, some of which have beenindicated at reference numbers 620-624. These raised portions 620-624function to stabilize a helmet including the padding system 600 on aperson's head, distribute the weight of the helmet and to facilitateventilation via slots, gaps or grooves, some of which are indicated atreference numbers 626-632. The materials and construction or fabricationof the example padding system 600 may be similar or identical to thoseemployed in connection with the padding system 100 described above and,thus, are not described further.

FIG. 8 depicts the example padding system 600 installed in a helmet 800.As with the padding system 100 described above, the padding system 600may be attached to an inner surface of the helmet 800 using hook andloop fasteners, or any other fastening technique(s).

FIG. 9 depicts another example helmet padding system 900. The examplepadding system 900 includes a pad body 902 having a substantiallyunitary base portion 904. The base portion 904 includes a plurality ofarms 906-912 that extend radially from a central portion 914. The arms906-912 include respective elongated slots or openings 916-922 whichreceive respective pads 924-930 that are slidably coupled or engaged tothe base portion 904 via the slots 916-922.

The manner in which the pads 924-930 are coupled to the base portion 904is illustrated in connection with the leftmost pad (i.e., pad 924) inFIG. 9. Specifically, a guide pin or block 932 is attached to a helmetside 934 of the pad 924. This guide pin or block 932 passes through theslot 916 and a cap 936 is attached to the guide pin or block 932 toprevent the pad 934 from being separated from the base portion 904.However, the guide pin or block 932 is dimensioned to enable the guidepin or block 932 to slide within the slot 916, thereby enabling the pad924 to be moved or adjusted as needed to fit a particular helmet and/orhead of a person.

A head side 938 of the example padding system 900 as depicted in FIG. 9includes a plurality of raised portions, some of which are indicated atreference numbers 940-942. These raised portions 940-942 function inmanners similar or identical to the head-side raised portions describedabove in connection with the example padding system 100. Likewise, thepads 924-930 may also include slots or grooves, some of which areindicated at references numbers 944-948, that function to furtherfacilitate ventilation. The materials and/or construction of the examplepadding system 900 may be similar to those used in connection with theexample padding system 100 described above and, thus, are not describedfurther.

FIG. 10 depicts the example substantially unitary base portion 904 ofthe example padding system 900 of FIG. 9. FIGS. 11A and 11B depict themanner in which the pads 924-930 are slidably coupled to the arms906-912 of the base portion 904. As can be seen in FIGS. 11A and 11B,the cap 936 may also include hook and loop material 1100 to facilitateattachment of the padding system 900 to the inner surface of a helmet.

FIGS. 12 and 13 depict another example helmet padding system 1200. Ahead side 1202 of the example padding system 1200 is shown in FIG. 12and a helmet side 1300 of the example padding system 1200 is shown inFIG. 13. The example padding system 1200 includes a substantiallyunitary pad body 1204 having a plurality of arms 1206 and 1208 extendingfrom a central portion 1210. The head side 1202 includes a plurality ofraised portions 1212-1234 separated by channels or grooves, some ofwhich are indicated at reference numbers 1236-1240. The raised portions1212-1234, in addition to providing impact attenuation and/orabsorption, are configured to stabilize and distribute the weight of ahelmet on a person's head.

As shown in FIG. 13, the helmet side 1300 of the padding system 1200includes a plurality of raised portions 1302-1314 that are positionedand dimensioned to fill gaps that would otherwise exist between an innersurface of a helmet and the padding system 1200. The example paddingsystem 1200 may be composed of materials similar or identical to thosediscussed above in connection with the other example padding systems.Likewise, the example padding system 1200 may be constructed orfabricated using techniques similar or identical to those used inconnection with the other example helmet padding systems describedabove.

FIG. 14 depicts the example padding system 1200 having amoisture-wicking fabric cover 1400 and positioned for installation in ahelmet 1402. FIG. 15 shows the example padding system 1200 installed inthe helmet 1402.

Although certain apparatus, methods, and articles of manufacture havebeen described herein, the scope of coverage of this patent is notlimited thereto. To the contrary, this patent covers all embodimentsfairly falling within the scope of the appended claims either literallyor under the doctrine of equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A padding system for use in a helmet, comprising:a pad body having a substantially unitary base portion, the base portionhaving a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the firstside to face an inner surface of a helmet and the second side to facethe head of a person when the helmet is worn by the person; a firstplurality of raised portions distributed on the first side of the baseportion, at least some of the first raised portions extending beyond afirst surface of the first side to fill first spaces between the innersurface of the helmet and the pad body when the padding system isinstalled in the helmet and the helmet is worn by the person; and asecond plurality of raised portions distributed on the second side ofthe base portion, at least some of the second raised portions extendingbeyond a second surface of the second side to engage the head of theperson when the helmet is worn by the person.
 2. The padding system asdefined in claim 1, wherein at least some of the first raised portionsare distributed on the first side to fill the first spaces in regionscorresponding to portions of the helmet likely to receive an impact. 3.The padding system as defined in claim 1, wherein at least some of thesecond raised portions are distributed on the second side to form secondspaces between the pad body and the head of the person when the helmetis worn by the person.
 4. The padding system as defined in claim 3,wherein the second spaces facilitate ventilation when the helmet is wornby the person.
 5. The padding system as defined in claim 1, wherein atleast some of the second raised portions are distributed on the secondside to control a distribution of a weight of the helmet on the head ofthe person when the helmet is worn by the person.
 6. The padding systemas defined in claim 1, wherein at least some of the second raisedportions are deformable to facilitate engagement with the head of theperson when the helmet is worn by the person.
 7. The padding system asdefined in claim 1, wherein the pad body comprises channels tofacilitate ventilation when the helmet is worn by the person.
 8. Thepadding system as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the firstraised portions extends a different distance beyond the first surfacethan another one of the first raised portions.
 9. The padding system asdefined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the second raised portionsextends a different distance beyond the second surface than an anotherone of the second raised portions.
 10. The padding system as defined inclaim 1, wherein at least one of the second raised portions comprises afirst material and another one of the second raised portions comprises asecond material different than the first material.
 11. The paddingsystem as defined in claim 10, wherein the first material is to grip thehead of the person and the second material is to absorb moisture fromthe head of the person.
 12. The padding system as defined in claim 1,wherein at least one of the first raised portions is made of a firstmaterial and at least one of the second raised portions is made of asecond material different than the first material.
 13. The paddingsystem as defined in claim 12, wherein the base portion is made of athird material different than at least one of the first or secondmaterials.
 14. The padding system as defined in claim 1, wherein firstraised portions comprise an impact absorbing material.
 15. The paddingsystem as defined in claim 1, wherein the at least one of the firstraised portions or the second raised portions is thermally fused to thepad body.
 16. The padding system as defined in claim 1, wherein at leastone of the first raised portions or the second raised portions iscoupled via an adhesive or a mechanical fastener to the pad body. 17.The padding system as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of thefirst raised portions or the second raised portions are integrallyformed with the pad body by varying a thickness of the pad body in aregion corresponding to the at least one of the first raised portions orthe second raised portions.
 18. The padding system as defined in claim1, wherein base portion has a plurality of arms extending from a centralportion of the pad body.
 19. The padding system as defined in claim 18,wherein the central portion and the arms are shaped to substantiallycover the inner surface of the helmet when the padding system isinstalled in the helmet.
 20. The padding system as defined in claim 19,wherein at least one of the arms is tapered to narrow toward the centralportion.
 21. The padding system as defined in claim 18, wherein theplurality of arms comprises four arms, two of the arms lying along afirst longitudinal axis and the other two arms lying along a secondlongitudinal axis perpendicular to the first longitudinal axis.
 22. Thepadding system as defined in claim 21, wherein the two arms lying alongthe first longitudinal axis are to be positioned adjacent left and rightsides of the head of the person, and wherein the two arms lying alongthe second longitudinal axis are to be positioned adjacent the front andback sides of the head of the person.
 23. The padding system as definedin claim 18, wherein at least some of the raised portions are disposedalong a longitudinal axis of one of the arms.
 24. The padding system asdefined in claim 18, wherein each of the arms includes a slot and thepad body comprises a plurality of pad portions to slidably engagerespective ones of the slots to enable adjustment of the padding systemwhen the padding system is installed in the helmet.
 25. The paddingsystem as defined in claim 1, wherein at least some of the raisedportions are disk-shaped or cylindrically-shaped.
 26. The padding systemas defined in claim 1, wherein at least some of the raised portions aredisposed in respective recesses in the pad body.
 27. The padding systemas defined in claim 1, wherein prior to being installed in the helmet,the pad body has a substantially flat profile.
 28. The padding system asdefined in claim 1, wherein the pad body comprises at least one of afoam material, a vinyl material, a urethane material, a polystyrenematerial, an elastomeric material, or a polypropylene material.
 29. Thepadding system as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of raisedportions comprises at least one of a foam material, a vinyl material, aurethane material, a polystyrene material, an elastomeric material, or apolypropylene material.
 30. The padding system as defined in claim 1further comprising a fabric cover encapsulating the pad body, the fabricto wick moisture from the head of the person when the helmet is worn bythe person.
 31. A padding system for use in a helmet, comprising: a padbody having a base portion, the base portion having a first side and asecond side opposite the first side, the first side to face an innersurface of a helmet and the second side to face the head of a personwhen the helmet is worn by the person; a first plurality of insertsdistributed on the first side of the base portion and substantiallyintegral with the pad body, the first inserts to engage the innersurface of the helmet when the padding system is installed in thehelmet; and a second plurality of inserts distributed on the second sideof the base portion and substantially integral with the pad body, thesecond inserts to engage the head of the person when the helmet is wornby the person.
 32. The padding system as defined in claim 31, wherein atleast one of the inserts extends beyond a first surface of the firstside or a second surface of the second side to prevent the directtransfer of kinetic energy between at least one area of the innersurface of the helmet and the head of the person when the helmet is wornby the person.
 33. The padding system as defined in claim 32, wherein atleast another one of the inserts extends a different distance beyond thefirst surface or the second surface than the at least one of theinserts.
 34. The padding system as defined in claim 31, wherein at leastsome of the inserts are integrally formed with, heat fused to, coupledvia an adhesive to, or mechanically coupled to the pad body.
 35. Thepadding system as defined in claim 31, wherein at least some of thefirst inserts comprise an impact absorbing material.
 36. The paddingsystem as defined in claim 31, wherein at least some of the secondinserts comprise a moisture absorbing material.
 37. The padding systemas defined in claim 31, wherein at least some of the second inserts aredeformable to facilitate engagement with the head of the person.
 38. Thepadding system as defined in claim 37, wherein the at least some of thesecond inserts are cylindrically shaped and composed of a foam materialto facilitate engagement with the head of the person.
 39. The paddingsystem as defined in claim 31, wherein the base portion comprises aplurality of radially extending arms and the inserts are distributed onthe arms.
 40. A padding system for use in a helmet, comprising: a padbody having a substantially unitary base portion, the base portionhaving a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the firstside to face an inner surface of a helmet and the second side to facethe head of a person when the helmet is worn by the person, the baseportion defining a plurality of flexible arms separately extending froma central portion; and a plurality of raised portions on the pad bodyand distributed on the first side of the base portion, at least some ofthe raised portions located on the arms and extending beyond a firstsurface of the base portion to fill spaces between the inner surface ofthe helmet and the pad body when the padding system is installed in thehelmet and the helmet is worn by the person.
 41. The padding system asdefined in claim 40, wherein at least some of the raised portions aredistributed on the first side to fill the spaces in regionscorresponding to portions of the helmet likely to receive an impact. 42.The padding system as defined in claim 40, wherein at least one of theraised portions extends a different distance beyond the first surfacethan another one of the raised portions.
 43. The padding system asdefined in claim 40, wherein at least some of the raised portions aredisk-shaped and fixed in respective recesses in the pad body.
 44. Thepadding system as defined in claim 40, wherein at least some of theraised portions are formed by varying a thickness of the pad body. 45.The padding system as defined in claim 40, wherein prior to beinginstalled in the helmet, the pad body has a substantially flat profile.